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'Despicable Me 2' Becomes U.K.'s Top-Grossing Film of 2013

The animated adventure is now the highest-grossing film of the year, with $66.78 million after seven weeks in release -- despite sunny local weather.

LONDON – Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me 2 has become the highest-grossing film of 2013 so far at the U.K. box office.

The claim to box-office fame comes despite the U.K. actually enjoying a sunny summer, the climate exhibitors fear most as it traditionally drives customers into gardens rather than movie houses in the territory.

Universal Pictures International (UPI), the studio's international releasing division, said that after seven weeks in release, Despicable Me 2 has grossed $66.78 million (£42.67 million) to take the title of the year's highest tally to date.

The comedy adventure sees the return of supervillain Gru (Steve Carell), his girls and the unpredictably hilarious minions.

The animated sequel dethroned Universal’s own Les Miserables, which had garnered $63.84 million to previously hold the U.K.'s top spot for the year so far.

Directed by Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin and produced by Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy, the movie's voice cast includes Carell, Kristen Wiig and Benjamin Bratt.

Other voices included Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Steve Coogan, Ken Jeong, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier and Moises Arias.Despicable Me 2’s U.K. box-office success comes on the heels of the studio posting takings of more than $1.8 billion at the international box office, making it UPI’s biggest year in history, passing the previous record set in 2012 when the studio grossed $1.794 for the year.